The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

My heart was pounding, but this time it wasn't from excitement, nor from a desire for victory, but rather—

Panic.

He was so excited when he declared he would win the championship, but the moment he entered the gate, his fiery body was frozen solid, and he trembled involuntarily.

"What's this……?"

Fujino Marko frowned, subconsciously looking around, her body frantically warning of some rather ominous presence nearby.

But all she could see when she looked up was the cold gate and the other racehorses, all pale-faced. She knew danger was right beside her but couldn't see it, and a nameless fear began to grip her heart.

"Fujino? No, her aura isn't like that. Could it be that arrogant guy from before? How could she be this strong?!"

As she thanked the stage, her body trembled slightly. This powerful yet unfamiliar aura unconsciously reminded her of someone—a racehorse girl who had almost driven her will and mind to the brink of collapse.

"Narita... Shirahito?"

"How could she possibly be in a place like this?!"

She looked around in fear, as if Narita Shirahito, who had almost crushed an entire generation, was watching her from a place beyond her sight.

"A hero shouldn't flee from the battlefield..."

At this moment, Starlight Girl's forehead was also covered in cold sweat. Although she was encouraging herself, her body was involuntarily sweating due to nervousness.

While the other female racehorses were filled with anxiety and mixed thoughts, only one looked calmly at the racetrack in front of her.

Xiu Xingmeng has no need to be nervous, so why would she be nervous?

After all, as long as she stands here and steps onto this track, the champion of the Kobe Shimbun Cup has already been decided.

Chapter 147 One Person Missing

Fujino Marko had already planned ahead. Knowing that she lacked stamina, she had given up the Chrysanthemum Prize and chosen the Arima Kinen as the stage to defeat Narita Shirahito. The 2,500 meters was a goal that she could still achieve with a little more effort.

Although she ranked highly in the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby, she didn't have a championship of sufficient significance. Therefore, the importance of the Kobe Shimbun Cup became apparent. If Fujino Marko could win this match, he could be promoted to the Arima Kinen title based on his excellent performance in the previous match against Narita Shirahito.

Moreover, she ranked first in the popularity rankings of this competition. Although popularity cannot determine victory, it is enough to represent a lot.

One of his threatening opponents was a defeated foe, and the other was a clueless idiot. Fujino Marko was absolutely confident of winning the championship.

However, this confidence is rapidly dissipating as the terrifying atmosphere on the field intensifies.

"Peng!"

Time waits for no one. What Fujino Marko once thought was an incredibly long wait passed in the chaos. Before she could even sort out her feelings, the starting gun rang out like a thunderclap, echoing in the ears of every racehorse girl.

The power surged from his toes to his thighs, and the explosive force kicked a gash in the grass behind him. Before he could even think, Fujino Mark's instincts had already kicked out.

This was a skill she had honed through countless days and nights. Even now, when she was feeling apprehensive from the terrifying aura, Fujino Mark still managed to find the perfect starting point through instinct.

The wind whipped through his hair, turning his once neat and formal long hair into a mess, and the world before him turned into a blurry green. Amid the noisy cheers of the audience, Wild Mark King's heart suddenly calmed down.

This is the state she is most familiar with, the speed she is most familiar with. The gale is her best friend, and the grass gives her strength. What else do she have to be afraid of when she is running like this?

Having cleared his mind while running, Fujino Marko finally emerged from his previous dazed state.

So what if this suddenly appearing opponent is terrifying? Can she possibly defeat Narita Shirahito?

He dared to challenge even Narita Shirahito, so she was just a formidable opponent who suddenly appeared. He could just overtake her by using his most familiar running technique!

Fujino Mark's eyes sharpened. She was an extremely proud and stubborn person who could maintain her competitive spirit and fighting spirit under the pressure of Narita Shirahito. How could she be overwhelmed by mere momentum?

This is no longer the time to dwell on such trivial matters. Now that I'm on the track, there's only one thing I need to do—

That is the path to victory!

The moment Fujino Mark Wang Zhendou made his decision, he immediately began searching. He no longer needed to pay much attention to the stage and Starman; now he had to find out who this unknown and powerful enemy was.

Only by knowing her location and understanding her running style can we find a chance of victory in the remaining stages of the race.

Just as she entered the bend in the road to search for the mysterious expert, a streak of crimson light suddenly flashed past the corner of her eye.

The unease in her heart began to fester, and her previously calmed state of mind erupted violently once again. An answer she dared not imagine gradually appeared in Fujino Mark's mind.

"Eh?"

She subconsciously turned her head, somewhat bewildered. At this moment, Fujino Mark had forgotten that she had been so proud and ambitious just a second ago, and only wanted to use her eyes to verify and investigate. She almost prayed that the answer in her heart was just an illusion.

Behind him were the thank-you stage, Starlight Girls, and a few unfamiliar racehorse girls. Fujino Mark could sense that none of them were the source of the suffocating aura from before.

The closer I get to that answer, the stronger my unease becomes.

Fujino Mark had completely forgotten about the competition, and was just counting the number of people behind him over and over again.

No matter how many times she counted, there were always only eight racehorses following behind her, and the numbers on their clothes were neatly arranged from number one to number nine.

Including her own number six, there were nine racehorse girls running on this section of the track. Fujino Mark clearly remembered that there were ten racers in this competition.

There was one person, a racehorse girl, who never appeared in the procession.

From the very beginning, she had already far surpassed everyone else.

She had almost crossed the bend by the time the main group had just entered it.

And that person, it goes without saying.

And so Fujino Marko broke down. She could no longer deceive her own heart, no longer pretend not to see the crimson streak before her, no longer tell herself—

There is still a sliver of a chance of victory.

Why was she able to recover from the chaos so quickly? Why did the audience erupt in such a surging cheer? These questions, which Fujino Mark had deliberately ignored, all came together at this moment.

She didn't come to her senses on her own; it was just that intimidating aura that had already moved away from her.

The cheers from the audience weren't for her; their attention had already been drawn to someone before her perfect start.

A profound sense of absurdity rose within him, even overshadowing his shock and collapse. Fujino Mark simply stared blankly ahead, watching the crimson streak of light lead the cheers of the entire Chukyo Racecourse.

she muttered.

"What...joke?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"What a joke!"

The last sentence was almost shouted out in anger. Fujino Mark would never have imagined that such an unbelievable monster would appear at today's Kobe News Cup.

As a racehorse girl who sets her sights on the strongest, she has long been familiar with the concept of territory, but she has never seen Narita Shirahito use it in the classic Triple Crown race.

That's why Fujino Mark felt he still had a chance to beat Narita Shirohito; if he awakened his domain before her, he might have a chance to defeat Arima Kinen.

But today, now, right before my eyes!

What did she see? !

Fujino Marko was now certain that the terrifying feeling he had experienced earlier was definitely not just an aura; the number ten racehorse leading the pack had acquired a domain! She had acquired a domain before Narita Shirahito, before this strongest man of the generation!

How could Fujino Mark not find this absurd, how could he not be dumbfounded?

The strongest racehorse girl of her generation, whom she had always been pursuing, had already been surpassed by other racehorse girls before she even had a chance to challenge her.

As Fujino Mark looked at the fleeting streak of light before him, he couldn't help but murmur her name.

"Northern...Star Dream".

Chapter 148 The Meaning of Names

"Northern Star Dream! It's contestant number ten, Northern Star Dream! Her speed shows no signs of decline; as a professional commentator, I can already make that judgment—"

"The champion of this Kobe News Cup will be player number ten, Hokuho Hoshino!"

Kentaro Sugiki excitedly watched the race and shouted. He thought he had long forgotten this passion after years of working, but seeing the descendants of the Northern Family running on the track once again, he felt as if he had returned to his passionate youth.

The new commentator standing next to him was dumbfounded, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word, staring blankly as his usually composed and professional senior excitedly banged on the table.

According to industry standards, he would be fined if he let Kentaro Sugiki explain on his own without providing any supplementary information, but now he simply couldn't find any room to interject.

The senior's words kept pouring into the microphone. Sugiki Kentaro spoke at lightning speed, introducing everything from the Northern Dancers to the Northern Star Dream, stuffing a whole bunch of knowledge into the newcomer who knew nothing about the Northern family.

It felt as if we were no longer on the Kobe Shimbun Cup field, but rather in an exhibition hall showcasing the glorious history of the Northern Families.

However, the cheers from the stands did not diminish in the slightest because of Kentaro Sugiki's incomprehensible explanation. They didn't care what the commentator was babbling about; all they could see was that streak of crimson light that almost pierced through the entire track and arrived at the finish line.

That's enough for the audience who are eager to see something dazzling.

Before the match, many spectators came to the Kobe Shimbun Cup primarily to confirm Fujino Marko's strength and see if she had the ability to upset Narita Shirohito.

But now, the competition has given them an even more perfect answer.

With an absolute advantage over many racehorse girls, Hideyuki Hoshino will be their most promising candidate to defeat Narita Shirahito.

Audiences crave victory and moments of glory, which is why they have high expectations for racehorses with dramatic experiences or great honors.

But at the same time, they also want to see more intense and fiercely contested matches.

Narita Shirahito's classic Triple Crown run went too smoothly; they could hardly find an opponent worthy of matching this blindfolded monster, to the point that even a racehorse like Fujino Marko was burdened with expectations she couldn't bear.

They may still not know the history of the Northern Family, but they will all remember the red streak that swept away all others on the racetrack, and the name of that racehorse girl.

Northern Star Dream.

This victory by Northern Homes, after a long period of silence, officially marks their return to the world of horse racing.

When Xiu Xingmeng crossed the finish line and those four words flashed on the screen, the cheers in the audience reached their highest point.

They unanimously cheered for the name Northern Star Dream, placing their hopes on this racehorse girl who had demonstrated great strength.

This racehorse girl, whom no one paid attention to before the race except for Kentaro Sugiki, won an absolute victory and was cheered for.

However, Xiu Xingmeng, who was standing on the track looking up at the stands, did not show the slightest bit of joy of victory on her face.

Firstly, she knew that the Kobe Shimbun Cup was merely a preliminary battle for qualification, and winning this match was far from the time to celebrate.

After that, she will face the strongest race of her generation, Narita Shirahito, who won the classic two-time championship.

Moreover, this wasn't her first time winning a match. This was already the third scenario world for Embroidered Star Dream. Besides the three G1 championships, Embroidered Star Dream had also won several substantial rewards.

There were no racehorses worth her attention in this race, and Xiu Xingmeng already knew the outcome the moment she stepped onto the track.

Finally, Xiu Xingmeng twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at the audience calling for Beifang Xingmeng, not knowing what to think for a moment.

If she had inherited the memories of the script world, it would be fine; at least she would have some sense of belonging to this name. But Xiu Xingmeng had no memory of it at all this time. So when she won the competition and heard the audience cheering for other names, she needed a moment to realize that it was her.

After all this, she really couldn't be happy even if she wanted to.

Moreover, Xiu Xingmeng's name is special; it embodies her mother's expectations for her, making it even more difficult for her to accept the name Beifang Xingmeng.

But it doesn't really matter. It's fine if I didn't inherit any memories, since I've already made up my mind not to get involved with the people in the script world anymore.

Xiu Xingmeng breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing this. Although she still couldn't confirm the current status of her friends from the previous script world, she wouldn't take any risks, given that her interpersonal relationships were already complicated enough.

In this scenario, all she needs to do is win match after match.

The grandmother of the Northern family just wants me to seize the Emperor's Award for the Spring and Autumn Period, so I'll just seize it and show it to her. Consider it a way of completing my mission.

Thinking of this, Xiu Xingmeng silently recited the name of the mission interface in her mind, and the blue semi-transparent screen immediately appeared in front of her.

[Scenario Mission: The Last Glory of a Prestigious Family]

I. Main Objectives

He won the Emperor's reward for consecutive reigns as the last emperor of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Rewards: 15000 SP + 1 stage ticket + Spring and Autumn Token

II. Phase Goals

1. Learn the truth about the Northern family's decline

Reward: 5000 SP + [Mysterious Item]

Note: The reward items for this mission will be obtained directly from the grandmother in the Northern House.

2. Defeat Narita Shirahito in his prime.

Reward: 5000 SP + Victory Headband

Note: This scenario is a performance-based scenario. The host will carry the scenario attributes to complete the mission. After the main mission is completed, the host will inherit the highest attribute and bring it back to reality.

The condition for completing the second stage mission is to learn the truth about the Northern family's decline. Even the props were given by the grandmother herself, so the condition for its completion must depend on her.

For the old woman who valued the honor of the Northern family above all else, discussing the family's decline would inevitably embarrass her. The only way Xiu Xingmeng could think of to get the truth about the Northern family's downfall from him was to use her own victory to make him relent.

If she could inherit the glory of the Northern family as she hoped, her obsession might be alleviated, and she would be able to tell Xiu Xingmeng the truth and reasons for the Northern family's decline.

With her thoughts clear, the path to completing the mission became clear as well. In this scenario world, she wouldn't do anything unnecessary; simply securing victory after victory, just like today, would be enough.